Names In The News

Publication "Business Book GP" has revealed the salaries of the drivers presently making up this year's F1 teams, and "the rich kids" of the F1 grid are Ferrari driver FERNANDO ALONSO and his ex-teammate LEWIS HAMILTON. Both "earn the enviable amount" of €20M ($26M) per season. In third place is McLaren's JENSON BUTTON, earning €16M ($21M) a year. Button is followed by Red Bull's SEBASTIAN VETTEL, with €12M ($15M), "although the German's salary is a little more complicated to calculate, as his income is variable, being affected by the number of pole-positions and victories he achieves" (MARCA, 5/7). ... EPL Tottenham midfielder GARETH BALE, who has made a heart gesture with his hands after each of his 26 goals this season, wants to make the gesture into a copyrighted logo. According to the filing at the Intellectual Property Office, "he wants to put the logo, along with the number 11 (his squad number), on shoes, hats, bags, umbrellas and jewelry." Bale filed the trademark on March 26 with help from The Stellar Group Ltd., a sports management company (TELEGRAPH, 5/7). ... NBA Minnesota Timberwolves guard RICKY RUBIO has confirmed that he will play for Spain in the Eurobasket 2013 in Slovenia, which will take place from Sept. 4-22. Rubio: "I said to Juan [Spanish coach JUAN ANTONIO ORENGA] that, if I did not have any problem with my knee, my 'yes' to play in the Eurobasket would be 100%. I feel good, so if he calls me, I will be there" (EL MUNDO, 5/8). ... Brasileiro Fluminense striker MICHAEL "faces a two-year ban" after testing positive for cocaine use. The 20-year-old gave a positive sample after his team's 2-0 victory over Rosende on April 6 (XINHUA, 5/8).